“You need to pack.” I sound like a bossy asshole, but this is important. “You and Austin. Today.”
She blinks. “What?”
“You’re moving in with me. It’s the only way I can guarantee you’re both safe.”
“Are you insane?”
Probably. “I told you last night my world is dangerous. How the hell else am I supposed to protect you?”
“You can’t just decide that for us.”
“I’m not deciding for you. I’m telling you what needs to happen.”
She sits up, pulling the sheet around herself. “There’s a difference between keeping us safe and taking over our lives, Alessio.”
Her face has that stubborn set to it that I’m starting to recognize. Chin lifted, jaw tight, ready to fight me.
I need her to understand this isn’t about control. It’s about survival. “My mother was kidnapped when she was seven.” I don’t usually talk about this shit. “They wanted leverage against my grandfather.”
“Jesus. That’s horrible.”
“She doesn’t talk about what they did to her, but I know it was bad.”
Nina looks like she might be sick.
“That’s reality. My reality. Austin’s reality now.” I hate scaring her, but she needs to understand. “I can’t protect you if you’re not with me.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, and I can see her working through it. The danger versus her independence. Her home versus her son’s safety.
“This is happening so fast,” she says finally.
“I know it is.” I stroke her cheek, feeling some of the tension leave her. “But we don’t have the luxury of taking it slow.”
“Okay,” she finally whispers. “We’ll move in. Temporarily.”
Temporarily my ass, but I’m not stupid enough to push that point right now.
“But I need ground rules,” she continues. “Austin’s routine doesn’t change. His school, his friends, the rest of his normal life stays normal.”
I nod. “Done. I’m not here to disrupt his life. Just to keep him safe.”
“What about us?” she asks. “This casual thing?—”
“Isn’t casual anymore.” I cut her off. “Hasn’t been for a while, if I’m being honest.”
“So what are you saying?”
I take a breath. This is harder than facing down armed Russians.
“I’m saying I want to try. The whole thing.” I’ve just handed her the power to destroy me, and somehow that feels exactly right. “Relationship, father, whatever you want to call it. I can’t promise I’ll be good at it. I can’t promise I won’t fuck it up. Butyou’re under my skin, Nina. Have been since that first night. And it’s not about Austin. I felt this way before I knew he existed.”
“I feel it too,” she admits. “But I need you to be patient. My ex did a number on me. Trust doesn’t come easy.”
“Then we’re perfect for each other. You don’t trust, and I don’t commit.” I kiss her again, quick and light. “A couple of emotional disasters trying to make it work.”
She laughs, and I lean in for another kiss, this one deeper. My hand finds her bare thigh beneath the nightgown, and suddenly I need more.
I’m sliding my hand higher, already forgetting my whole plan to keep this morning PG-rated, when the bedroom door flies open.
